Chakshu Portal: A New Government Tool To Report Fraudulent Calls And SMS

Online scams and frauds are at an all-time high in India. It is becoming easier for fraudsters every day to loot money from innocent people. According to the CyberCrime Coordination Centre, around 7000 cybercrime complaints were lodged on a daily basis in May 2024, taking a jump of 113.7% between 2021-2023 and 60.9% from 2022-23.

What Is The ‘Chakshu’ Portal?

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the launch of the ‘Chakshu’ portal by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday. The main objective of the portal is to help users report fraudulent calls and messages easily and act as a spam call blocker.

On the Chakshu portal, a user can report fraudulent calls, SMS, and WhatsApp messages.

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned that the DoT’s Sanchar Sathi Portal will also be accessible through a mobile app soon. He said, “With Digital Intelligence Platform and Chakshu, we think the pace at which we were able to detect and prevent cyber frauds will significantly improve further”.

How To Report A Suspicious Activity Through Chakshu Portal?

If a user notices any suspicious calls or messages, they can immediately report it on the Chakshu portal. The report will then be looked into by TRAI. If found culpable by TRAI, legal actions will be taken and the number will be revoked.

What Is The Grievance Redressal Portal?

The grievance redressal portal is a portal to report the connections that are disconnected by mistake. If TRAI mistakes a number for a fraudulent number, then those people can complain through the Sanchar Sathi portal.

DoT is also collaborating with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Department of Financial Services to return Rs. 1008 crore to those accounts that were frozen because of suspicion.

Read More : Benefits Of RBI's New Mobile Application

What Is The Spam Reporting Platform?

The Chakshu portal will trigger the verification of suspected fraudulent numbers and work as a spam call blocker. If one number is being reported multiple times, then the verification will be sent to the number. If the verification is failed, then the number will be disconnected by TRAI.

DoT also confirmed that the username and details of the suspected fraudulent numbers will not be revealed to anyone and will be confidential.

What Is The Digital Intelligence Platform?

The Digital Intelligence Platform will allow a unified space for banks, payment wallets, social media platforms, and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). This space is to share data regarding all suspected fraudulent connections between all platforms. This will help each platform to know what numbers to what out on and take precautions.

What Are TRAI’s Recommendations on CNAP?

CNAP stands for Calling Name Presentation Service. CNAP was introduced with the aim of helping users view the registered name linked to the number. So when a person gets a call from an unknown number, the registered name linked to the number will be shown. This helps people decide if they should take the call or be cautious.

“User safety and protecting users’ privacy is most important. As a user, it is my right to know who is calling me. It is important for people who are calling to at least identify themselves”, said Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Conclusion

The Chakshu portal aims to make the Internet safer for everyone to use. People should always be cautious of random numbers and should not provide personal details via call. Chakshu portal aims to only protect users from fraud and it does not handle financial-related cybercrimes.

To report any suspicious activities, visit Sanchar Saathi Suspected Fraud Communication Reporting. To report any financial fraud, visit https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/ or call 1930.